Gov. Kemp signs bill to let Trump, others recoup legal costs
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill late Wednesday that would allow President Donald Trump and others to seek compensation from legal bills in criminal cases where a prosecutor has been disqualified.
Senate Bill 244 would also enable compensation from counties for attorneys’ fees and other legal costs in criminal cases in which a prosecutor has been disqualified.
The bill, which was ed by state lawmakers in the most recent session, originated in the wake of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ historic election interference case against Trump and more than a dozen co-defendants.
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In August 2021, Willis handed up a series of indictments against Trump, accusing him and 17 of his GOP allies — including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani — of engaging in a criminal conspiracy to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
That election saw Joe Biden defeat Trump in Georgia by less than 17,000 votes. On his way to the White House, Biden became the first Democrat since Bill Clinton in 1992 to carry Georgia or any other deep Southern state.
But a since-acknowledged romantic relationship between Willis and former special prosecutor Nathan Wade threw the case into an entirely new political and judicial spectrum.
When Trump became the 47th president-elect, Willis — who was reelected in her own right in November 2024 — and her prosecution were faced with even more uncertainty in the case.
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